Calm Before the Storm
by The Shadow Hawk
Summary: [One shot] The Telepod isn't working the first day of the fair so Crono and Marle explore the rest of the fair and enjoy a quiet evening at Crono's house before their lives are changed forever.


**The Calm Before the Storm**

One shot

Pairing: slightly Crono/Marle

Rating: PG

Summary: Due to technical difficulties, Lucca's telepod isn't ready the first day of the fair like it was supposed to be. Crono and Marle walk around the fair together, but at the end of the day they're both very tired. Crono offers to take Marle home and come back the next day, but she declines. Knowing the inn is filled, he then offers to let her sleep over at his house and she accepts.

My first CT story. Just fluff. Be nice. No flames please. Constructive criticism only.

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            "Technical difficulties? I wonder if she blew something up…" Crono laughed to himself when he looked at the sign on the gate blocking Lucca's exhibit.

            "Oh Crono, that's so mean!" Marle jabbed him lightly in the arm.

            "Well it's possible." He smirked, rubbing his arm. "Lucca's smart and she's my best friend, but her inventions have a tendency to go haywire the first time."

            "Well, what do we do now? I wanted to see that thing." She bit off the candy she was eating and tossed out the wrapper.

            "We could go check out Lucca's other invention." He offered.

            "She has another one here?"

            "Yeah. It's a fighting robot. We can get some more silver points for it and get some more food."

            "A fighting robot? Cool! Let's go then!" She smiled and grabbed his arm. "Lead the way!"

            Crono smiled and led her to Gato's arena. They fought, won and received 15 silver points. As they walked out of the arena, Marle notices a large bruise on his arm.

            "Hey, is that from Gato?" She pulled up his sleeve a little.

"Huh?" He looked at his arm. "Probably. Guess I should go get a tonic, huh?"

"No need. I can fix it." Crono looked at her inquisitively. She held her hand out over his arm and it began to glow a soft white. In a matter of seconds, the bruise was gone.

Crono flexed his arm. "Wow. How'd you do that?"

She shrugged. "Just came to me one day."

"You're full of surprises, aren't you?" He smiled.

She nervously tugged at her pendant. "You have no idea…"

"Wanna go get some food?"

"Sure. That fight made me hungry." She grinned and pulled him to the silver point exchange stand. After getting the money, they bought a basket of fried potato wedges and say on a bench to eat them.

Marle dipped one of them into a sauce that came with it and ate it. "My father would be so mad if he knew I was eating this."

"Really? It's just food." Crono wiped some salt and grease off his fingers.

"I can just see my father now…" She lowered her voice. "'Don't you dare eat those! They'll make you fat and you'll never be able to get married!'" She rolled her eyes. "My father would have loved it if I had been a boy."

"One of those fathers, huh? Well, he should be happy with what he has. I think you could make any father proud." He gave her a genuine smile.

Marle blushed. "Thanks Crono. I wish my father could hear you say that."

They spent the rest of the day together. Marle laughed at Crono's attempts to win the soda chugging contest but had to admit she couldn't do any better. After a fireworks show, the fair was closing down for the day.

"Hey Marle, it's getting late. Do you want me to take you home?"

"Home?" She echoed quietly, envisioning her father ordering the guards to lock Crono in the dungeon and lock her in her room. "You know, I really don't want to go home. I wasn't supposed to come here today and my father will be so mad if I come home now. Plus I got into a fight with him before I came here…I don't know if it's a good idea for me to go home now…"

"Rough relationship with your dad huh?"

"Yeah…think there's any room in the inn?" She looked hopeful.

He shook his head. "I doubt it. The place will probably be filled until the fair's over."

"Shoot…" She bit her lip. "My father is the last person I want to deal with now…"

"Well…" He started.

"Well what?"

"I don't know if you'll like the idea, but you could probably stay at my place." He offered.

"You don't mind?"

"No. I'm sure my mom would be fine with it too. She thinks I need more friends anyway." He rolled his eyes.

"Thank you so much Crono!" Marle flung her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug.

He blushed. "S-sure."

They walked back to Crono's house. He opened the door and found the house dark. "Mom?" He lit some lamps revealing the empty kitchen. "That's funny…I wonder where she is…"

Marle picked up a note on the table. "'Crono: Hope you had fun at the fair. I had to take the ferry to Porre. Be back late tomorrow. There is chicken in the icebox if you're hungry. -Mom' Guess it's just you and me then. I was kinda looking forward to meeting your mother though."

Crono opened the icebox and found the chicken. "She's a good person. Does a good job with what she's got." He took a bite out of the cold chicken. "It's even good cold. Want some?"

"A small piece if there's one there." She looked around the room. "I'm kinda guessing your father isn't around. You haven't said anything about him."

Crono handed her a plate. "Yeah, he's gone. He was a soldier for a while. He got killed in a fight with some mystics that got too close to Truce. He and a couple other soldiers died I think."

"Sorry to hear that. Did he teach you how to use a sword? You're really good."

"Yeah. He was my teacher for about 10 years."

"I always wanted to be a swordswoman. I even started taking secret lessons for a little while. Then my father found out and put a stop to that 'un-lady like behavior.' He even threatened to put the man who was teaching me in jail." She shook her head. "Unbelievable huh?"

"Sounds like your father has anger control issues. Who was the poor guy to face is wrath?"

"Oh what was his name? He was such a nice guy. Never got mad at me when I messed up." She thought for a moment. "I think his name was Keith. That sounds right."

"Keith? That was my father's name."

"Really? Weird. What did your father look like?"

"Well, he was tall…darker skin than mine…red hair but not spiked and blue eyes."

Marle's eyes widened. "Your father was my private teacher!"

Crono nearly fell off his chair. "He never mentioned taking students!"

"He promised not to tell a soul. I guess he really did keep it from everyone." She smiled.

"How did you meet my father? He was never outside of the house except for when he was on duty."

Marle's mind raced for a moment. "My father works at the palace…" She said after a moment. "So did my mother for a while. I was always with them. Sometimes the soldiers would spend some time with me. Keith was always willing to spend time with me." She smiled sadly. "But no one ever told me he was dead. I always just thought he was done with serving the crown…"

"If your father stopped you from learning to swordfight, what made him let you learn how to use a crossbow?"

"Well…my mother wasn't opposed to me learning and after she found out my father stopped my lessons she gave my father a lecture about how I'd have to learn to defend myself on my own. He finally caved and said I could use a crossbow because I wouldn't have to get too close to anything coming after me."

"You still interested in learning to use a sword?"

"Kinda yeah. Swords are stronger after all."

"Maybe after the Millennial Fair is over, I could teach you, pick up where my father left off."

Marle looked up at him. "Would you really? That would be awesome!"

"Sure. It's not really hard you just have to practice a lot." He smiled.

She smiled. "Mother would be happy to know I've gotten around Father's rules."

"What happened to your mother?"

"She died of some strange disease when I was little. I had no idea what was going on then one day she was gone." Marle shrugged. "I don't remember it very well. I try not to…"

"No one wants to remember the bad."

"I guess not." Marle yawned.

"Tired?"

"Yeah. It's been a long day."

"You can sleep upstairs. You want something else to wear or are you fine in that?"

Marle looked down at her clothes. "Something else if you have it, otherwise this is fine."

"There's probably something upstairs. Come on." She followed him upstairs. As he rooted around in the drawer, Marle looked around the room.

"Hey Crono, if I'm sleeping up here, where are you sleeping?"

"Downstairs. I've slept on the couch before." He handed her a big blue shirt and white pants. "Here. They're probably way too big, but it's just for the night." He headed downstairs so she could change in private.

"Thanks." She slipped into Crono's clothes and came downstairs. "How do I look?"

"Like you're ready to sleep." He chuckled.

"And you're sure you're okay with sleeping down here?"

"It's fine." He assured her.

"Crono, thanks for showing me around the fair today. I think I had more fun today than I have in my entire life." She smiled.

"It was my pleasure. Being with someone is more fun than being alone."

She gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "See you in the morning Crono."  She slipped back upstairs.

Crono chuckled. _'Wow…what a day. I guess Mom was right. I should go out and meet new people.'_ He kicked off his boots and laid on the couch. He drifted off to sleep thinking about what new kind of contraption Lucca had cooked up and how it would probably still not work correctly.

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Like I said, fluff. So how bad was it? Don't be too mean.

-Shadow Hawk


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